The Daily Standard
Story Archive
Celina's Cash Patrick wraps up St. Henry's Will Speck for a tackle during Friday's season opener at Celina Stadium. The Bulldogs held on to defeat the reigning Division VII state champions 38-35.
CELINA - Football is a game of emotions. After losing quarterback Parker Wynk to injury in the second quarter, Celina had to find a way to control those emotions against last year's Division VII champions, St. Henry. In a back and forth game, the Bulldogs held on for the win 38-35 in a thriller at Celina Stadium to start the year 1-0.
"The win is great and so is the ability for this group to overcome a lot of adversity on the field. They overcame a teammate being hurt and rebounded. I'm really proud of how they handled that and came together as a team tonight," said Celina coach Brennen Bader postgame.
It was a quick start for the Redskins in a dual-quarterback system. A 20-yard pass from Landon Schwartz to Drew Langenkamp on third and three gave the visitors the early momentum. After Schwartz found Tate Boeckman over the middle for 18 more yards, Langenkamp took the next snap 26 yards to the house and gave the 'Skins a 7-0 lead after seven plays.
St. Henry's Drew Langenkamp (6) tries to pull free from Celina defender Caleb Schlater.
Celina responded with a bang. Facing a third and 12 from their own 29, Wynk fired a slant pass to Trey Anderson, who took it 69 yards for the score.
The game stayed tied at seven after St. Henry punted, and Celina took over at their own 40. Wynk's running and passing brought the Bulldogs to the doorstep, and a beautiful pass to Dalen Limon in the corner of the end zone put Celina up 14-7.
The teams traded fourth down stops as the game carried into the second quarter, and St. Henry took possession midway through the frame.
A big face mask call gave the offense life, and after Langenkamp took a handoff 31 yards to the Celina 30, the Redskins were rolling. A second and goal dive from Langenkamp in the shotgun tied the game 14-14 with 4:53 in the half.
Things got messy soon after. Wynk's third down pass sailed on his receiver and fell into Will Speck's hands, but Schwartz returned the favor the following drive.
Starting on their own two, an errant snap started a scramble on the goal line. While St. Henry celebrated a recovery, Celina had to suffer an injury. Wynk was in the middle of a dog pile, and stayed down. The quarterback was taken from the stadium in an ambulance. There were no updates at press time.
Langenkamp got the visiting fans going again on a simple touchdown run, and St. Henry took a 21-14 lead into the locker room.
Celina's Jett Warner finds some running room during Friday's season opening game with St. Henry at Celina Stadium.
The second half started, and Celina's offense picked up. A long run from Noah Talmadge and a keeper from new quarterback Jett Warner opened up a 28-21 Celina lead.
St. Henry responded with some trickery. Schwartz handed it off, then a flea flicker found a wide open Will Gerlach. Some broken tackles put him in the end zone, and St. Henry had it back to a 28-28 game early in the fourth.
The Bulldogs went down methodically the next drive. While they could not find an end zone, the reliable leg of Briton Jeffries put the hosts on top 31-28 with a 40-yard boot.
It did not take long when Celina extended the lead. After a 3-and-out from the visitors, Celina took over at their own 45. A run-heavy drive was capped off when Eli Talmadge run through the St. Henry line and into the end zone and made it 38-28.
Langenkamp then took the ensuing kickoff all the way to Celina's five, where Schwartz dove over the defense for the score.
With 1:55 on the clock, St. Henry had life trailing 38-35. The onside attempt was recovered by Celina near midfield, and all they needed was a first.
They could not get it, as the St. Henry defense stood tall on third and five. With everyone rushing the punt, a Redskin got a hand to it and the visitors took over at Celina's 45.
A quick completion to Boeckman gave them the ball at the 33, and a pass interference call brought them closer.
Incompletions made it a fourth down from the same spot, the game was on the line and eight seconds to go. Schwartz' pass was incomplete, and the Bulldogs hung on by the skin of their teeth. St. Henry finished the day just one-of-eight on third downs, and were one-of-three on fourth downs.
"It should not have come down to that, we have to secure the kickoff. For those last five or six plays our kids held on for dear life and just had to make one more play and I'm thankful that we did," said Bader.
Celina's Eli Talmadge (42) goes up to pick off a pass intended for St. Henry's Tate Boeckman.
Celina was led by Noah Talmadge's 132 rushing yards, while Warner added 82 on the ground. The Bulldogs open league play at home next week against Wapakoneta.
"What Jett did does not surprise us," said Bader of Warner. "He makes things happen, he's slippery, he's smart and he's cerebral. He's a great guy to have in there and we will see about the future, but for the time being he'll be the starter going forward."
Schwartz finished just 11-of-25 in the air with 216 yards for the Redskins, while Langenkamp's 106 yards led the rushing attack. St. Henry will look to bounce back next week against Archbold in St. Henry.
